Classic recipes and top tips to help you Get Baking

1 recipes for Victoria Sandwich, Scones, Cob Bread, Lemon Souffl s and Cornish PastiesClassic recipes and top tips to help you Get BakingBaking is a great British tradition it is relaxing, rewarding and great fun. When we were making the BBC Two series The Great British Bake Off, we tasted cake, bread and biscuits from all over the UK and were delighted to find that Baking is more popular than beats the taste of something that s been baked at home, and it s really not difficult. With a good recipe and some practice you ll be amazed at what you can create. This guide will help you get started with five Classic recipes and step-by-step advice. Learn how to make the perfect Victoria Sandwich, tasty Scones, a crusty Cob Loaf, hot Lemon Souffl s, or delicious Cornish Pasties.

2 The recipes here were attempted by contestants on The Great British Bake Off and they re the perfect introduction to Baking . Find out about the essential elements of great Baking and learn how to get brilliant results with some of our top Baking tips. And if you re a complete beginner, go online and let us show you how it s you ve built your confidence, we hope you ll use your new Baking skills to raise money for BBC Children in Need. Whether you hold a cake stall or a cake auction, you can help make a difference for children across the UK. So if you re crazy for cake, can t resist a biscuit, have a soft spot for bread, a passion for puddings or can t get enough pies, there are no excuses Get Baking !Paul Hollywood and Mary BerryGet Baking for BBC Children in the recipes in this guide have step-by-step advice to help you bake the three golden rules: 1.

3 Read the recipe through before you start. 2. Weigh and measure your ingredients Don t open the oven door while you re for extra help, go online to watch Mary and Paul demonstrating the recipes and techniques: Scales Big and small mixing bowls Wooden spoon Tablespoon Teaspoon Whisk Rolling pin Oven gloves or thick tea towel Spatula SieveBefore you start, it s worth checking that you have some basic Baking equipment:ContentsVictoria Sandwich 3 Scones 7 Cob Loaf 11 Lemon Souffl s 15 Cornish Pasties 19 Ask the Experts 22 Bake it Better 24 22ovensAll ovens vary and the number on the dial isn t always the true temperature so cooking times can only be used as a guide. An oven thermometer is a good tool.

4 Conventional and gas ovens are hottest at the top, so it s best to bake on the middle shelf to avoid burning things before they re cooked through. If your cakes start to brown too quickly, you can reduce the oven temperature by 10 C or, towards the end of the cooking time, you can cover them loosely with aluminium ovens provide a fiercer heat than conventional ovens, so reduce the temperature by 20 C check your oven instruction 't be tempted to open the oven door until at least two thirds through a cake s cooking time the structure of the batter won t be 'set' before this stage and the sudden change in temperature can cause it to collapse. If you need to look after this point, open the door a crack and shut it as gently as possible to minimise any change in temperature or blasts of cold , spreads and paCket Margarine Fats like butter, spreads and packet margarine incorporate air bubbles in cake batters to make them rise, give a crumbly or flaky texture to pastry, and increase the lightness of a loaf.

5 They also give taste, adding richness and moistness to the finished recipe. Butter is made from animal fat (milk), while margarine, Baking spread and vegetable spreads are made from blends of animal and vegetable oils, or just vegetable oils. Vegetable spreads are lower in saturated fats. Always check on the pack that a vegetable spread is suitable for Baking because many of the lighter or cholesterol-lowering versions won't work as well. Baking spread gives excellent results in cakes choose a spread with a minimum 58% fat. If you prefer to use butter or packet margarine, it s important that it s at the right consistency it should be soft and squishy but not Berry s Perfect Victoria SandwichThe traditional Victoria Sandwich is a Baking Classic and a tasty teatime treat.

6 This all-in-one method is quick and one1. Weigh out the Preheat the oven to 180 C (160 C fan assisted)/350F/Gas 4. 3. Grease and line the sandwich tins use a piece of Baking parchment or greaseproof paper to rub a little Baking spread or butter around the inside of the tins until the sides and base are lightly coated. Line the bottom of the tins with a circle of Baking parchment or greaseproof paper (draw around the base of the tin onto the parchment and cut out a circle to fit).4. Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl, then add the sugar, flour, Baking powder and Baking spread. Make sure the teaspoons of Baking powder are level, not heaped, as too much Baking powder can make the cake Mix everything together until well combined.

7 The easiest way to do this is with an electric hand mixer, but you can use a wooden spoon. Put a damp cloth under your bowl when you re mixing to stop it moving around. Be careful not to Divide the mixture evenly between the tins this doesn t need to be exact, but you can weigh the filled tins if you want to check. Use the spatula to remove all of the mixture from the bowl and gently smooth the surface of the Place the tins on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for about 25 minutes. Don t be tempted to open the door while they re cooking, but after 20 minutes look through the door to check EasyPreparation time: about 30 minutesCooking time: about 25 minutesMakes: 12 slicesingredients 4 large free-range eggs 225g/8oz caster sugar, plus a little extra for the finished cake 225g/8oz self-raising flour 2 level tsp Baking powder 225g/8oz Baking spread or soft butter at room temperature, plus a little extra to grease the tins Good-quality strawberry or raspberry jam Whipped cream (optional)eQuipMent Scales 2 x 20cm or 8in round tins Baking parchment or greaseproof paper Large mixing bowl Electric hand mixer or wooden spoon Damp cloth Spatula Palette knife or flat knife Clean tea towel Cooling racktop tipThe finished cake mixture should be a soft dropping consistency and should fall off a spoon easily.

8 Be careful not to over-mix as soon as everything is blended you should stop. 5 Stage two8. The cakes are done when they re pale golden-brown and coming away from the edge of the tins. Press them lightly with a finger to check they should spring back. Remove them from the oven and set aside to cool in their tins for 5 to 10 minutes. Then run a palette or flat knife around the edge of the tin and carefully tip the cakes out onto a cooling rack. To take your cakes out of the tins without leaving a wire rack mark, put a clean tea towel over the tin, put your hand onto the tea towel and tip the tin upside down. The cake should come out onto your hand and the tea towel then you can turn it from your hand onto the wire Set aside to cool three10.

9 To assemble the cake, place one cake upside down onto a plate and spread it with plenty of jam. If you want to, you can add whipped cream Top with the second cake, top side up. Sprinkle over the caster agentsBaking powder and bicarbonate of soda are chemical raising agents (as opposed to yeast, which is a fungus). They give sponges, scones, muffins and some biscuits their light texture. Active raising agents give off bubbles of carbon dioxide, which help batter or dough rise. Once they reach a certain temperature in the oven they stop working and the batter or dough sets. It's important not to open the oven door too early during cake Baking the batter needs to set around the air bubbles first or the cake will of soda is alkaline and needs an acid to get it working.

10 Yoghurt, buttermilk and cream of tartar are commonly used to do this. Baking powder is a ready mix of bicarbonate of soda and an acid . It s inactive as long as it s dry and starts working when it comes into contact with opened, raising agents have a limited shelf life. To test if they're still active, add a teaspoon of raising agent to a small bowl of water if it doesn t bubble and fizz, throw it and cream are added to slacken the consistency, give a lighter result and add protein and fat. Milk is also used in bread to add a richness and a slight sweetness, but it should be scalded (almost boiled) and cooled beforehand to prevent the bread having a heavy cow's milk is normally used in recipes , but semi-skimmed will work, although the result will be less creamy.